


Cold Hands. Warm Heart.

by Laiquendi



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Cold Weather, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Male Friendship, Sick Vulcan, Stranded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/814994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laiquendi/pseuds/Laiquendi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An away mission takes a turn for the worse...don't they all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Spock!" Kirk shouted loudly against the howling, biting wind.

"Spock, don't you dare leave me now, you hear me? Spock!"

The level of sheer panic that had suddenly crept into his normally steady tone took James T. Kirk by suprise. Panic was not in his nature, he thrived under pressure, excelled when faced with a no-win scenario and seemingly laughed in the face of death but now he was faced with the very possible imminent death of his first officer...his friend and for the first time in memory he was completely and utterly lost.

 

 

The mission had begun routinely enough. The Enterprise was sent to the Setarian System in order to determine the viable nature of the mineral gammacite-b recently discovered on the ice planet Setar VI. Nothing glamorous, nothing too exciting, just one of the many mundane missions that her crew had to deal with from time to time.  
Specialist Lt. Gordan and her team of four stood on the transporter pad, all set to beam down to the planet's surface and begin extracting samples for analysis later back in the ship's well equipt labs.

"Good luck Lieutenant," her Captain wished, "and be sure to keep in regular contact, Mr. Spock informs me that the surface conditions are due to disimprove considerably within the next two-point-four hours," he cautioned, "endeavour to collect all the samples you need before then."

"Aye, Sir."

Gordan's muffled reply was barely audible through the thick layers of her survival suit. James Kirk smiled reassuringly at the young officer, it wasn't her first away mission but he still felt uneasy every time a landing party left without him. McCoy had teased him about it at first teased...hell the man had actually made clucking noises! Mother hen indeed! He only shut up when Kirk threatened to send him on every single away mission.

"Hey no fair," was the suitably chastised C.M.O's sulky reply.

"Energise Mr. Scott," Kirk ordered his chief engineer.

"Aye Sir, energising now," Montgomery Scott complied.

Within seconds each team member disappeared in a shimmering halo of light.

 

Back in his quarters, Jim Kirk sat at his desk taking advantage of the lull in activities to catch up on some 'paperwork'. He read through reports from his various section chiefs, sanctioned a number of requisitions due for retrieval at the next star base and completed his log. He had just finished his entry when the door to his quarters chimed.

"Enter," he called softly.

The door swept open smoothly to reveal the tall slender frame of his Vulcan first officer.  
Jim smiled.

"Spock, how can I help you?" he asked while gesturing for his friend to come in and sit down.

Spock complied wordlessly and sat opposite his Captain. Only then did he remove the data pad from under his left arm.

"Captain, do you wish to avail of this time to continue with the crew evaluations?" he enquired.

Kirk leaned back, sighed, ran his right hand through his hair and then used it to roughly knead out some of the tension building up at the back of his neck. Reports, requisitions, crew evaluations, Star Fleet was all just one big bureaucratic behemoth. Even though he'd been Captain of the Enterprise now for almost a year, he was still catching up and just when he thought he was finally making a dent in the pile...another load would fill it's place.  
His Captain's weariness and reluctance was not lost on Spock. Just because Vulcans were not prone to expressing emotion didn't mean they could not read it in others and he considered himself to be quite adept at reading this particular human.

"Perhaps another time Captain," Spock suggested and then made to leave.

"No, no, sit down," Kirk reached out, "it's all right, we'll go through them now, no telling when another opportunity will come up. Just let me get something to drink first."  
Kirk got up and walked across his quarters. 

Spock simply nodded.  
"Of course Captain."

Kirk sighed again as he stood in front of the replicator, raising his hands head level.

"Jim, Spock, its Jim remember...am I going to have to remind you of that every single time we're alone together," he asked exasperated.

"We are both still on duty Captain, it would not be appropriate," the first officer calmly stated.

"Really...well maybe you'd care to explain why you called me Jim before when we were both still 'on-duty'?" Kirk demanded lightly. The events of the Nero incident, still relatively fresh in his memory.

A solitary elegant raised eyebrow was his only reply.

"Uhhuh...thought as much, you're never gonna admit it are you?" Jim shook his head, rolling his eyes.

Spock started to speak but was halted abruptly.

"Forget it Spock," Jim turned to face the replicator again. "One black coffee, hot, no sugar."

The computer complied and a few seconds later he slid back the panel and retrieved a steaming hot cup of coffee.

"Care for anything Spock?"

"No thank you," the Vulcan replied without looking up from his data pad.

Jim smiled, sipped on his drink then raised his own eyebrows and wondered if he would ever really get to know this man...no, he corrected himself...this Vulcan, in front of him. Elder Spock certainly seemed to think so and that they were destined for great friendship of course he was basing his assertions on events grounded in an alternative reality. Was it really too much to expect that things would work out the same in this reality? despite the odds, Jim Kirk really hoped so.

"So who's first on the list?" he enquired, back to business.

"Ensign Rodriguez. Maria, botanist," Spock supplied.

"Ok then, let's start with..."

The Captain's words were cut off by a sharp sounding beep.

Kirk hit a button on his desk.

"Kirk here."

Lt. Uhura responded anxiously.

"Captain we're receiving a distress call from the landing party, it seems there's a medical emergency, they're requesting Dr. McCoy's assistance...the message is very garbled Sir, the storm seems to be getting a lot worse, it's affecting some of our instruments."

Jim stole a quick glance at the ship's chronometer in his desk, a little over two hours had passed.

Damn it! he thought.

"Understood Uhura, notify Dr. McCoy, have him meet us in transporter room two.

"Aye, aye Sir," she acknowledged, the channel then went dead.

"Spock you're with me," Jim ordered as he abandoned his cup on the desk beside his first officer's data pad. Crew evaluations would have to wait.

A slight diversion along the way to get kitted out in the necessary survival gear, then they met up with the medical officer who was already suitably attired.  
McCoy had grabbed a fully stocked medical kit packed with what ever he could possibly need to render first aid at the scene anything more serious would be dealt with back on the ship.

"Jim, Spock," the Doctor quickly acknowledged their presence in the transporter room. "Do we know the nature of the medical emergency?"

"No Bones, not yet, they had some difficulty getting through, it would seem Mr. Spock's weather predictions have come to fruition," Kirk explained.

Spock simply looked as if there could be no other outcome.

"I see, we'll we best get down there, then I'll know what I'm up against," McCoy stated quietly, resigned to the fact that he would once again be subjected to a transporter beam.

"Captain it may be best if I just beam down the good doctor," Scott suggested, "the storm is releasing massive electrical charges into the atmosphere, communications are severely disrupted, I canna be sure I'll have the signal strength to beam ya all back up."

"Understood Scotty, do your best," Kirk replied then made his way onto the transporter pad putting an end to any further protest from his chief engineer, he was quickly joined by Spock and McCoy.

"Aye Sir, nothing less," Scotty assured.

"Energise Mr. Scott," the Captain ordered.

"Aye Captain, energising now," Scotty complied.

His body felt the familiar tingle of the transporter beam as it surrounded his being. The functional yet warm transporter dissolved before his eyes only to be replaced by a nightmarish environment.  
Setar VI was raging war against its uninvited human inhabitants. Vicious ice winds tore at his body, he was almost blown over as soon as he materialised but the sudden appearance of a steel grip on his arm allowed him to steady himself. His coloured visor was almost instantly covered with large flakes of snow and he had to keep wiping it in order to make out the landing party. His first few breaths were uncomfortable, even through the protective fabric of his suit, the cold was indescribable, he had never experienced anything like it in his life.  
Kirk, Spock and McCoy struggled against the wind and made their way towards the landing party huddled together surrounded by various pieces of scattered Star Fleet equipment.  
Jim decided instantly that he'd let the good Doctor tend to the medical emergency, then he was going to get his people the hell away from this God forsaken rock.

 

 

As the trio approached the landing party at an almost slow motion pace, Kirk was able to make out the diminutive form of Lt. Gordan hunched over two crew members both lying against a large storage container.

"Report Lieutenant," Kirk shouted above the tempestuous winds hell bent on drowning out every human sound in the vicinity.

 

She struggled to stand up against the forces raging against her slight frame and in the end she grabbed hold of a fellow team member already standing to her left in order to steady herself.  
"Captain," she replied as loudly as she could, "both Crewman Downes and Ensign van der Burgh have sustained injuries."

She turned to face the other members of Kirk's landing party. One person carried a medical kit slung over their shoulder.

"Dr. McCoy?!" she bellowed, just to be sure.

Bones pulled away some of the protective shielding revealing his face. Gordan smiled, relieved that her team members would be seen to.

"Tell me what happened," the doctor instructed as he made his way over to the two injured personnel.

Quickly the six able-bodied officers gathered around the two wounded men, their combined bulk acting as a make shift shield against the harsh, unforgiving elements.

"Sir, both men were carrying the container of mineral samples back to the beam up site when Crewman Downes slipped on the ice, unable to support the weight of the container alone, Ensign van der Burgh also lost his footing and hit his face against the panel," Gordan explained as succinctly as possible.

McCoy knelt down beside both men. He struggled for a moment with the opening of his medi-kit, the bulky yet necessary gloves made it awkward to access the opening clasp. He soon retrieved his scanner and medical tricorder and began scanning the young Crewman.

"How ya feelin' kid?" he shouted lightly at the impossibly young man. This kid couldn't have been much older than Chekov, there were times when he felt like the oldest person on board the Enterprise.

"Stupid Sir," came the embarrassed reply.

The Doctor smiled, feeling sorry for the kid, sure enough it wasn't the best way to garner your Captain's attention...not that Jim would hold it against the youth...hell accidents happen even to the best of us.

"I think it's just my left ankle Sir," Downes added helpfully.

Bones concentrated his scan on the joint and sure enough the tricorder registered the presence of broken bones and swelling in the immediate area.  
He reached into his bag and pulled out a hypospray, adjusted it slightly then leaned into the young crewman, pulled aside his hood and injected him painlessly in the side of the neck.  
He looked up at the concerned face of his Captain.

"Just a break Jim, a few minutes with the knitter back in sick-bay and he'll be right as rain, I've given him something to ease the pain and reduce the swelling until we're safely back, I'd really like to cut away this boot but the poor kid would probably end up with a blasted case of frost bite," the Doctor reported then moved quickly towards his next patient.

Van der Burgh's injury was a little more obvious. Flecks of blood, now completely frozen, adorned the side of the storage box while some more blood had escaped from a split lip and when the poor guy attempted to smile, he was missing an upper incisor.  
Bones shock his head and tried not to smile at the injured Ensign's misfortune. Once again he ran his scanner over his patient's body, when it revealed nothing he concentrated on the man's face. Sure enough a hair line fracture of the lower mandible registered on his tricorder. He dolled out the same pain relief treatment, stood back up and made his report.

"Nothing serious Jim," he shouted into his Captain's ear, "another one for the knitter and maybe the dentist...both will be fit for duty in a few hours."

"Good to hear Bones," Kirk responded happily.

"Spock," he turned to his first officer, "contact Scotty, tell him we're ready to beam up and have an anti-grav lift ready for Crewman Downes."

"Aye Captain," Spock complied, reaching inside a pocket to retrieve his communicator and flip it open.

He used his left hand to try and offer his voice some protection from the wailing winds.

"Enterprise, Spock here, respond," he instructed neutrally.

His call was met with crackling static so he attempted contact a second time, his efforts were soon rewarded.

"Aye Mr. Spock, Scott here, I can barely here ye, can ye boost yer gain Sir?" Scotty enquired anxiously.

The message made its way to Spock's ears, not in it's entirety but none the less his was able to make the general gist.

"Negative Mr. Scott, I am already at maximum, landing party of six ready to beam up, instruct sick-bay to have anti-grav lift on standby," he advised, raising his voice again in the hope that Scott would hear.

Static...then.

"Say again Mr. Spock," the chief engineer requested, growing more frustrated with his instrument panel as the seconds past.

His deft fingers flew over various dials and buttons in an effort to boost signal strength. "Say again, please."

Spock could suddenly hear Scott's worried plea and quickly repeated his message.

"Aye Mr. Spock I read ye now, stand by for beam up," he advised.

"The Captain is ready and waiting, I advise no further delay, communications is becoming increasingly difficult," Spock recommended, his tone even despite their precarious situation.

"Understood Spock," Kirk nodded and waved in case his first officer was unable to hear his response.

"Lt. Gordan get you team ready, only take what's absolutely necessary," he ordered, then turned to his chief medical officer.

"Bones, you'll be going back with the landing party, Spock and I will wait for the next beam out."

"But Jim what if Scotty can get another signal...good God man it could be hours...you could both freeze to death," he exclaimed in alarm.

As if to accentuate his point, a massive flash of electrical energy flared high above them in the atmosphere.

"Your patients need you Bones," Jim grabbed the Doctor by the shoulders, "we'll be fine, Scotty'll get us both up safely," he added reassuringly.

Not entirely convinced, Bones grumbled something unintelligible, Kirk couldn't make it out...which was probably for the best.

"Here," McCoy shouted as he thrust his medi-kit into his Captain's arm, "at least hang onto this just in case."

"Thanks Bones," Jim nodded and smiled, "now get over there, that's an order."

McCoy reluctantly stood beside the five other crew members.  
Kirk signalled his first officer.

"Spock to Enterprise, now Mr. Scott!" he shouted into his communicator.

Bones stole a quick glance at Jim and Spock as the blasted beam enveloped him and prepared to tear him apart molecule by molecule. His final thought as he left the surface of Setar VI was a prayer that he would see his friends again soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Kirk sighed with more than an ounce of relief as each crew member was gradually embraced by the swirling warm amber light of the transporter beam and sent safely back to the Enterprise.

It suddenly struck him that he was genuinely more concerned for their safety than his own, another one of many 'command traits' he found he'd inherited during his short tenure as Captain. He had gone from being a reckless youth, barely responsible for himself to being in a position of power where he was responsible for the lives of hundreds in a relatively short period of time.

It was an achievement he hoped his father would be proud of...his son had finally grown up.

Sometimes this one-eighty about face scared him a little...but right now, in his current predicament, he didn't have time to be afraid.

He allowed a brief moment for the party to re-materialise and move off the pad, then signalled Spock to contact Scott once again.

The first officer simply nodded in compliance, carefully brushed away some of the large flakes of snow that had quickly accumulated on the face of his communicator, then opened a channel.

"Spock here, two to beam up," he informed the chief engineer.

The communicator crackled with static as the signal strength became more erratic.

High above them in a synchronous orbit, Scotty's frustrations grew, his fingers danced once again across the instrument panel, coaxing dials and willing buttons to increase their power. He was sure something had just come through but there simply wasn't enough power. He could try latching on to the weak signal fragment and beam the Captain and first officer up but the risks were just too great. Any further loss of cohesion in the pattern and their signatures would be lost forever...not even the newly up-graded pattern buffers could compensate for that kind of loss.

In a flurry of organised chaos, McCoy quickly sent his two patients on ahead to sickbay with the medics, they would begin the basic procedures of setting the injured crew member's bones. Right now he was more concerned about his friends on the planet's surface, he joined Scotty, leaning heavily against the chief engineer's console. Deep furrows of worry streaked across his brow. He knew the intermittent static was not a good sign.

'God damn these blasted contraptions', he thought,' ...and God damn that blasted planet!'

He watched closely, anxiety levels rising as Scott tried his best to boost the faint signal coming from the surface. As a doctor, he was well aware of the implications of being stranded on a frozen wasteland like Setar VI for a prolonged period of time...survival suits or not...hypothermia, frost bite...Christ the possibility that they could both actually freeze to death was frighteningly real, he had warned Jim as much. And what about Spock? He didn't imagine that a species originating from a desert planet would cope too well with such low temperatures and he just knew the green-blooded son of a bitch would be too stubborn to say anything to Jim. Bones grew more and more exasperated as the seconds passed.

Far below, Spock calmly tried to maintain contact once again.

"Enterprise we are ready to beam up," he shouted into the communicator.

Kirk pushed against the raging gusts of wind hurtling across the icy surface and stood beside his first officer as he attempted to contact the ship. Each endeavour was met with static.

He turned his gaze briefly to the heavens, aware he would be unable to see her...still knowing she was there offered him a strange sort of comfort. As he watched, another enormous flash of energy lit up the lower atmosphere, it reminded him of the lightning storms he had seen back on earth, though the magnitude of this storm was completely alien to him. This did not bode well for their chances of a speedy retrieval.

"Mr. Spock! Can ye hear me?!" Scotty shouted at the receiver, "Captain Kirk are ye there?! Mr. Spock!"

Nothing...not even the faintest trace of electrical interference.

A fist slamming against the console in utter frustration jarred Bones from his own worrying thoughts.

He looked expectantly into the chief's eyes and didn't like what he saw.

"I've lost 'em," he admitted in utter defeat. "There's nae more I can do'til the storm eases."

Leonard McCoy suddenly felt like he'd been sucked back to the surface of Setar VI as an icy chill of dread washed over him.

...ooOoo...

"Captain, I have been unable to make contact, it would seem that the current weather conditions have finally rendered communications impossible at this time," Spock reported tonelessly, completely ignoring the fact that they were now stranded in this inhospitable environment.

The half-Vulcan's stoicism never failed to amuse Kirk.

"Understood Spock," Jim nodded in reply as calmly as possible, 'no sense getting in a panic just yet...besides, what good would it do us?' he thought, he would just have to try and stay positive. "How long until the storm passes?"

Spock quickly thought back to the information he had gathered on the storm at his science station before beaming down.

"I estimate no significant decrease in the storm's intensity for at least another ten hours Captain," he supplied.

"Uh huh," Kirk nodded again with less enthusiasm, keeping positive on a frozen hell hole for the next ten hours was going to be quite the challenge.

'So...first order of business...survival'. Jim looked around to see if there was any way to construct some sort of shelter out of the remaining pieces of Starfleet equipment scattered around them until they could be beamed up safely.

Spock observed his Captain as his eyes darted around the equipment and rapidly surmised his intentions.

"Captain this wind appears to be similar to the katabatic winds often recorded on your earth's Antarctica, they are known to reach hurricane force and are intensely cold, there is insufficient shelter on offer here," Spock pointed out.

Shit! 

Kirk wondered if they were ever going to get a break.

"Suggestions Spock," he requested hopefully.

His first officer reached for the tricorder hanging by his hip, switched it on and began scanning the area. His keen eyes studied the readings through his protective visor.

"There appears to be several rock formations three-point-eight kilometres south-east of our current position, they would offer sufficient shelter until we are rescued Sir," Spock reported, pointing in the correct direction.

"Nearly four kilometres, dammit! Might as well be forty over this kind of terrain," Kirk replied, some what disheartened, "You sure it's our best chance Spock?"

"Our options are slim Captain, however one thing is certain, if we choose to remain here our chances of surviving until Mr. Scott can successfully retrieve us will drop dramatically."

"How dramatically exactly?" Kirk asked out of curiosity, half afraid of the answer.

"There is a less than five percent chance that we will survive," Spock replied impassively.

Shit! Shit! 

"Well I guess that settles that!" Kirk stated to the general vicinity. "Look around Spock, see what may be useful to bring with us...nothing too bulky, we don't want anything that'll slow us down and leave us exposed out here for any longer than is absolutely necessary," the Captain instructed.

"Aye Sir," the first officer acknowledged with a slight tilt of his head.

They separated and began searching through the discarded items. There wasn't a whole lot that they found useful but some small items were salvaged. Spock broke off the lid of an empty mineral container and tied some power cable to the handle, making a make-shift sled. He carefully placed the items into the up-turned lid. Jim added the precious medi-kit, securing it in place.

They collected several more metres of the thin cable and secured each end about their respective waists effectively tying them together. Spock then handed his Captain a narrow length of metal he'd removed from the tri-pod supporting one of the excavating drills.

"Thanks Spock," Jim said in response to the gesture, he had already decided that he would take the led, the rod would be very useful for probing the ground ahead. It was highly possible that they would pass through some areas of deep snow and God only knows what else!

The first officer then readied himself by looping the sled cable over his shoulder.

"Ready Captain," he shouted out towards his commanding officer who had advanced ahead.

Kirk looked back from a distance of about eight metres, waved and then slowly set off in the direction Spock had indicated earlier.

As they abandoned the dig site, Kirk silently hoped that this bitch of a planet had no more surprises in store for them.


	3. Chapter 3

Spock faltered once again as he trudged along the treacherous surface. He had often heard his people described as graceful and elegant, right now he felt neither. He quickly recovered from his stumble before it could cause tension in the cable connecting him to his captain, he did not want to cause concern, they had been walking for several hours but the going was slow and they had yet to reach shelter. He estimated that it would take another one-point-five hours to arrive at the rock formations.

His reasons for not wanting to bother the man were unclear, was it that he didn't wish to be a burden or maybe it was simply down to pride? He briefly chastised himself for allowing any emotion influence his thought process but reluctantly admitted to himself that it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus his analytical mind.

The cold was exerting its toll.

His standard issue Star fleet survival suit had been designed with predominately humans in mind and there was insufficient insulation to maintain his own optimum body temperature. Every inhaled breath was torture and he could feel his core body temperature start to drop. He may be of mixed heritage but when it came to the cold, he had to confess, he was one hundred percent Vulcan. On setting off, his mind quickly accessed and catalogued the symptoms of hypothermia so that he could monitor his condition. He was now convinced that stage one was upon him and he estimated that stage two would not be too far off.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to control the shivering and despite the padded gloves, his hands were getting numb. He tried flexing them over and over in order to keep the blood flowing but that simple task was itself becoming tiresome. He also clinically noted an increase in his rate of breath which had nothing to do with the thin atmosphere, after all the planet Vulcan had been quite similar before its destruction. He re-doubled his efforts to gain some sort of control over his bodily functions in order to slow down the disturbing effects however it was inevitable that he would eventually succumb...it was simply a question of when.

...ooOoo...

Leonard McCoy reluctantly entered his private quarters. He had finally agreed to leave sickbay just over two hours after his shift had officially ended. There hadn't been a whole lot to do, the medics on his staff had done a first rate job of patching up the two injured crewman and they had been discharged over an hour ago. But the fact that he was there just helped to distract his mind a little, kept it from dwelling to much on the potentially dire situation his friends had found themselves in.

He arranged to have every piece of equipment, every hypospray, anything that he might possibly need to treat severe hypothermia and frost bite positioned beside two beds...the thought that they might be beaming up two corpses was ruthlessly banished from his mind. He then ordered a complete inventory of all medical supplies in sickbay, had every piece of equipment tested, sterilised and even checked-in on some experiments he had running in the labs.

As time passed slowly without any word, he became increasingly agitated and started getting snappy with the nurses. He had the entire staff walking on egg shells. It was only when one brave soul actually confronted him over it did he agree to finally leave...it wasn't fair to vent his frustrations on his staff, they were just as concerned about their captain and first officer.

And so he found himself sitting alone on his bed nursing a single shot of saurian brandy, grimacing as the fiery liquid hit the back of his throat. He resisted the urge to contact Scotty again for an up-date, he was pretty sure the chief would contact him as soon as there was news. He knew the man was still stationed at the transporter and had being trying in vain, at regular intervals for a little over two hours, to get in touch with Jim and Spock.

'God damn you Jim Kirk, you crazed farm boy! Just you wait till I get you into my sick bay...you and that pointed-eared hobgoblin!' he thought as he swallowed the remaining brandy.

...ooOoo...

Spock waved a heavy arm over the front of his visor to clear away the snow and peered off into the distance. He could now make out the outline of something large and jagged ahead. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief, they were almost there.

His captain was still ploughing on ahead, prodding the snow and advancing forward, slowly but surely...the man's strength and tenacity caused Spock's respect for him to raise a couple of notches. He had looked back to check on Spock several times since their trek had begun. Sometimes waving, sometimes giving the 'thumbs-up' signal, Spock simply responded with a positive nod each time.

Kirk was in the process of conducting one of his visual checks when things went suddenly pear shaped.

One minute his captain was there waving at him, the next second he was gone. Spock blinked rapidly, his some-what sluggish mind trying to make sense of what had just happened. Then the shout came.

"SPOCK!"

Almost instantly the half-Vulcan felt a sharp tug around his waist as the cable was yanked and tightened. Before he could react, he was pulled back off his feet. He came crashing down onto the hard, compacted ice. Pain flared in his right side as he landed heavily on the tricorder and then his skull exploded as it impacted with the unyielding surface. His vision blurred and for an instant everything went black. He squeeze his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain and then risked opening them again. It was then that he realised he was being steadily dragged along the ice towards the very precipice his captain had disappeared from.

His captain...

'Jim!'

Realising what had happened, he tried to lift his dazed head up, his world swayed around him. He forced his eyes to focus and sure enough the cable joining him to his captain was vanishing over the edge.

"Spock!" Kirk shouted loudly once more.

The barely audible plea for help prompted him into action. Ignoring his pain, he gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the ice. The small spikes on the soles of his boots helped a little but he continued to slip. Heaving in an enormous breath of super chilled air, he rammed both heels against the ice once more and dug in using every ounce of strength he had to stop his forward momentum.

He had to stop...or they would both be lost.


	4. Chapter 4

There had been many times in his some what chequered past, that James T. Kirk had felt like his world had been ripped out from under him...but never literally.

One minute he was looking back at his first officer, making sure everything was all right, the next, he was crashing through the surface of Setar VI and getting hit on the head with falling lumps of ice. His first instinct had been to yell out.

Although he felt like he'd been falling forever, in reality the whole thing lasted only a few seconds before he was yanked roughly to a halt as the power cable around his waist tightened and stole his breath.

When he finally stopped swaying, he risked opening his eyes and was immediately assaulted by a bright blue-white light. The jarring change was almost painful and caused him to blink rapidly and squint. Apparently at some stage during his fall, his protective visor had been knocked free.

'That could be a problem,' he thought, '...maybe I'll just throw it in there with all my other ones for now,' he added bitterly.

Swallowing deeply and steeling his nerve, he chanced looking down. His eyes tried in vain to track the various clumps of ice and snow still descending from the fractured surface. Each one disappeared into the darker void far below him, it wasn't exactly a confidence boosting discovery, so he abruptly redirected his gaze upwards.

A large jagged hole in the surface now existed a few metres above his head and he could clearly make out the vivid colours of the stormy sky. He gripped the narrow cable tightly with his right hand, while using his left the clear away some of he snow from within his hood, then he tried to call out once more.

"Spock! I'm okay!" came the half strangled cry.

'God, that hurt!' he swore silently as the cable continued to compress his abdomen, as the seconds passed it was getting increasingly harder to breath.

...ooOoo...

Up on the surface his first officer was shakily hanging on to the cable with all his might. Mercifully, he had managed to stop his forward momentum but the grip in the ice was tenuous at best. He had to try and heave his captain up before he began slipping again, however the lack of strength he was experiencing was a most disturbing sensation. On some level he knew that it was symptomatic of the hypothermia, the muscle fatigue, the lack of co-ordination, but still...it stung that he could be incapacitated like this, especially when the captain's life was at risk.

Redoubling his efforts, he began to pull on the power line, alternating his grip with each tug as he slowly brought the cable...and his captain towards him. His clouded mind struggled to contain and control the pain emanating from his head and side but he would not give into it despite the added strain.

At some undetermined point in time the cable finally went slack in his hands, he wearily looked up and saw Kirk valiantly struggling to gain purchase on the ice as he hauled himself up and onto the slippery surface. The man finally stood up and immediately began loosening the line from around his waist.

Seeing that his captain was safe, Spock allowed his head to fall and used the next few moments to return some order to his breathing.

...ooOoo...

Several occasions over the past year had caused Jim Kirk to feel eternally grateful for his Vulcan first officer. This wasn't the first time Spock has saved his hide and he could only hope that when the time came, he would be able to return the favour.

On somewhat wobbly legs, he made his way over to where Spock was sitting on the snow covered surface. Stopping in front of the commander, he hunched over, hands leaning heavily on his knees. He allowed himself a few moments to catch his own wind back and then gripped his first officer tightly on the shoulder.

"Thanks Spock, looks like I owe you another one!" he yelled happily.

Jim was half expecting some patient reply referencing duty or logic or some other Spockish rejoinder, however his attempt at levity was met with silence. He wondered for a second if the half-Vulcan was pissed off with him...wouldn't be the first time but surely Spock of all people could reason that what had just happened wasn't his captain's fault. Tiny worry wrinkles appeared across Jim Kirk's brow. It was only then that he noticed his first officer was still gripping the narrow cable as if his very life depended on it...this discovery however was not nearly as unsettling as the very obvious shaking in the commander's hands.

Jim dropped down on his knees and very gently pried open Spock's trembling hands from around the wire. This action at least, evoked a reaction from the silent officer and his gaze drifted up to meet Jim's face. Kirk was completely taken aback by the unfocused look in the normally astute eyes...clearly visible despite Spock's visor. The captain's concern crept up a few levels.

"Spock...Spock are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

His friend did not respond straight away...not a good sign.

"Spock?"

Jim laid a more tentative hand on his shoulder this time and tried to make more definite eye contact.

Finally...

"I...I am f..fine ," the half-Vulcan stuttered.

Kirk was completely stunned at the broken words. Then realisation hit him as Spock's body was racked by a violent tremble. Jim suddenly began repeatedly hitting his forehead with the heel of his hand.

"Stupid. Stupid. STUPID! Christ I'm such an idiot!," he berated himself shouting to the sky.

He had become so accustomed to seeing his first officer as this almost indestructible being with superior physical prowess and inhuman strength, that he had completely forgotten about any Vulcan's Achilles heel...the cold!...here of all places...where they were practically trapped in a God damn freezer!

"Spock...Jesus man I'm sorry...how bad is it? How cold are you? And don't dare tell me you're fine. You are not fine, not even close to fine, in fact you're so far from fine you couldn't find fine with a long range sensor!" he ranted worriedly.

Spock to his credit tried to follow the rant, he believed his captain was requesting a more accurate assessment of his current condition. He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, the movement caused a grimace to appear...one he was unable to hide in time.

"What...what is it Spock? Are you hurt? Tell me man...what's wrong?" Jim pleaded as his grip on his first officer's shoulder tightened.

Inhaling another breath of freezing cold air, Spock reluctantly proceeded to up-date his captain.

"I..I injured m..my side and head when I f..fell b..back," he revealed as the tremors increased in intensity. "I..I also b..believe I h..have entered s..stage two of h..hyp...hypothermia," he concluded.

'Shit! Not good! NOT good!'

"Okay Spock, hang on, I'll be right back," Kirk replied as calmly as possible.

He got up and half crawled over to the make-shift sled and retrieved the medi-kit. Once he was back by his friend's side, he opened it and had a look inside. Unfortunately Bones had taken his medical tricorder with him...he would just have to take Spock's word that he wasn't leaving out anything else.

'God Bones I could really use you here right now...what the hell do I know about treating Vulcan's?' he thought nervously.

Doing his best to appear confident, he reached inside the kit and pulled out a hypo-spray. Before administering any shots, he pulled off his left glove and carefully placed his hand inside the commander's hood. He could feel the tremors lessen ever so slightly as Spock stiffened a little at the invasion to his personal space.

"Relax Spock, it'll be all over in a second," he smiled, trying to reassure his patient.

Jim quickly felt the back of Spock's head. There was a massive lump protruding through his scalp but no wetness. He carefully eased his hand out of the hood and checked...no green stains...well at least he wasn't bleeding, then he replaced his glove.

"You've got quite the lump there Spock, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a concussion," Kirk surmised.

The half-Vulcan nodded carefully in agreement.

"What about your side? Do you think anything's broken?" he enquired while hoping to Christ there wasn't.

"P..possibly," came the succinct reply.

Spock knew his breathing was laboured and that he felt pain each time he inhaled plus he was overcome with waves of nausea from time to time, he couldn't quite determine at the moment what was due to the hypothermia and what was due to his other injuries. His control over his bodily functions had completely deserted him, at this stage a Vulcan healing trance would probably be beyond his abilities...not that he would risk one here.

Kirk just nodded, reluctantly accepting the bad news. He adjusted the hypo-spray and leaned in towards his friend.

"I'm gonna give you a shot for the pain Spock and a stimulant to help keep you going...okay?" Jim informed him.

Christ if he knew whether or not it was the right thing to do but maybe it would help.

Spock just nodded positively once again.

"Okay then," Jim stated, more to reassure himself than anyone else and without further hesitation he injected his first officer.

"Just give it a second to get working, you should feel the benefits very quickly."

Jim stood up, moving out of Spock's line of sight for a moment and re-adjusted the hypo to a lower setting and injected himself also. His own injuries were minor, just bruising mainly from the cable but he had to admit that he was starting to find the going very tough. He wasn't totally immune to the cold either, his own fingers and toes were starting to feel a little numb but he couldn't allow things to get any worse, he had to stay sharp...Spock was in bad shape...his friend was not indestructible...finally, after all this time it would seem that Spock needed him.


	5. Chapter 5

Jim stowed the hypo-spray safely back in the medi-kit and knelt heavily down beside Spock once more.

"How ya feel'in now Spock?" he asked cautiously. He tried not to seem like he was fussing too much over his first officer, he had learned early on in his captaincy how much the commander disliked being mollycoddled, still, he had to know. He was responsible for the lives of his crew and it gnawed at him that he had been so neglectful of his first officer's condition...he wasn't about to let it happen again.

"B..better, thank you Captain," Spock replied, sounding a lot stronger than before.

Jim gave him an assessing look, it did seem as though the tremors had lessened considerably and Spock appeared a bit perkier...for want of a better word. Unfortunately Kirk also knew that this was entirely due to the large dose of cordrazine that he had just administered to the half-Vulcan, at some stage it was going to wear off and Spock was going to crash...it was just a question of when and how badly. He tried to push those dark thoughts to the back of his mind for now, it wouldn't do either of them any good if he allowed their current situation defeat him. So instead, he smiled and shook his head.

"Good Spock, that's good news," he returned.

"And you C..Captain?" his first officer enquired.

"Nothing serious, just some bruising," he answered while rubbing his mid-rift. "Pretty good idea there Spock, without this I'd a been dead for sure," he added thankfully, then re-tightened the power cable around his waist.

Spock seemed to give his Captain an appraising look of his own, his head tilted ever so slightly to one side as he seemed to notice something.

"Captain you ap..appear to have misplaced your visor," he pointed out.

Jim felt for an instant like he was being scolded but knew the commander was just showing concern in his own way.

"Yeah, I think I lost it back there," his thumb pointing over his left shoulder, "...while I was plummeting to my death, silly me," he shouted, unable to keep the sarkyness from colouring his tone.

Spock merely raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Indeed," he then proceeded to remove his own visor from his face.

"Wait, Spock, what are you doing? Put that back on!" Kirk ordered quickly, thinking his first officer was loosing his mind.

Spock uncharacteristically failed to comply.

"Captain, you n..need this more than I do," he insisted and adamantly held out the visor in front of Kirk.

Kirk looked down at the offering, pleased on one level to see his first officer's hand were much steadier but at the same time not liking the idea that Spock was sacrificing such an important piece of equipment...even if the brightness was starting to hurt like hell.

Sensing his captain's hesitancy, Spock clarified his point.

"Vulcans are b..better suited to bright conditions, our eyes have adapted to cope, c..continued exposure for a human could c..cause ultraviolet keratitis Sir, it would be illogical f..for you to refuse."

"Ultraviolet keratitis Spock?" Jim repeated a little bemused.

"Snow blindness Captain."

"Ah, I see," Kirk nodded in understanding. Something about what Spock had just said jogged his memory a little, he seemed to remember some comment Bones had made in the past about Vulcans having some sort of nictitating membrane, an inner eyelid that offers extra protection. He smiled remembering Spock's fleeting expression of disgust when Bones had compared his eyes to those of a chicken. Realising that his friend was probably right...as usual, he reached out and grateful took the offered visor.

"Thanks Spock," he nodded.

With out the red coloured visor covering most of his Spock's face, Kirk could clearly see the unusual discolouration of the half-Vulcan's skin. The normal green hue due to his copper based blood had been replaced by a sickly yellow, though his lips and nose appeared almost blueish. It was most disconcerting but Kirk held back from commenting...he had nothing to gain by it, except embarrass his friend further and he wasn't about to do that.

Nonetheless, Spock could feel his captain's eyes studying him. The attention was unwanted and yet understood, his Mother had subjected him to countless similar looks during his childhood, humans may be capable of great acts of cruelty but they also had an immense capacity for compassion...his friend was simply concerned. He attempted to ease the man's mind.

"I assure you Jim, my condition has improved," he said in earnest, pleased that he was able to speak, how ever briefly, without stuttering. "However I suggest we resume our course t..towards shelter."

Kirk nodded, "Agreed Mr. Spock," and smiled in appreciation of the gesture, simultaneously he silently catalogued the fact that one of those rare occasions had occurred when he'd been called by his first name. He stood up, brushed away some of the clumps of snow that clung to his suit and put on the visor. Now that his eyes were able to see without squinting, he scanned the horizon. Their proposed shelter was perhaps another two hours away at most but the going had become just that little bit more treacherous. Who knew how many more deep fissures lay hidden just below the snow covered surface? An idea occurred to him.

"Spock can we adjust the tricorder to scan for further faults in the surface?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes Captain, one moment please," the commander replied as he retrieved the device from his side. He brushed away the snow and noted that some of the dials were bent slightly and one control had snapped off entirely when he fell on it but the damage was minor and he was confident it would not affect its ability to scan. It took him slightly longer than normal to make the adjustments but he achieved it nonetheless. "Completed Sir," he informed Kirk.

"Thanks Spock, here let me take that," he replied and moved in to ease the tricorder strap over his first officer's head, only to quickly place it over his own.

"Need a hand?," he then asked, offering one regardless.

Spock hesitated then looked up, although reluctant to show weakness he considered it prudent at this time to accept help. He didn't wish to aggravate his side further and so he reached out and gripped his captain's hand. Kirk heaved his friend up off the frozen ground, grunting slightly as he did so, Spock sure was a hell of a lot heavier than he looked. The half-Vulcan wobbled ever so lightly as he achieved a vertical position. Kirk's hands shot out automatically, gripping each of Spock's arms, silently supporting him until he found his bearings. Once steady, the commander silently bowed his head in thanks.

Kirk turned to face the fissure and scanned the immediate area, after a few seconds a relieved grin spread across his face.

"We're in luck Spock, it ends just under fifty metres to our right, we won't have much of a detour."

He turned back to face his first officer and proceeded to gather the discarded cable attached to their make-shift sled and tied it around his waist also.

"Captain I am perfectly capable..."

"Spock," Jim interrupted, "...I'm taking the sled," he stated in a tone that allowed no room for further discussion.

Seeing that is was futile to argue the point, the half-Vulcan acquiesced.

"Ready?" Kirk checked with renewed enthusiasm.

"Ready Sir," Spock affirmed.

And so they headed off once more, journeying across the frozen desolated plains of Setar VI. Progress was still slow and lightning continued to flash high above them but sometimes it felt like the winds were at their backs for a time and its force none too gently pushed them along.

Kirk became much more regular in his visual checks with Spock, he wanted to look back every five minutes, but he stretched it to ten. He didn't doubt that on some level it was frustrating the hell out of Spock...not that his first officer would ever admit it but he had to keep a close eye on him, who knew when the stimulant would wear off, leaving Spock to battle the symptoms of hypothermia once more.

They'd been walking for a little over an hour now and had allowed only two short breaks to garner their strength. With each subsequent check since their last rest stop, the half-Vulcan seemed to be fading. His movements were making Jim increasingly nervous. Spock's usual stiff posture and purposeful gait, which Bones jokingly described as his 'stick up his ass swagger' were gone. His friend was now swaying slightly, permanently hunched over as if concentrating on every footfall, if he hadn't know better, Jim would say that his friend was intoxicated.

'You're in the deep shit now Jimbo!' he thought to himself.

They needed to reach that shelter fast. He decided he was going to head back and help his first officer, he still had enough energy to offer a helping hand, he could half carry Spock the rest of the way...to hell with any stubborn protests or proclamations.

"Spock! Wait there! I'm coming!" he shouted over the wind.

At the same time, a few meters back, Spock felt like his world was falling apart. His logical mind, the core of his being, was slowly being ripped from him. Clarity had been replaced by mist and fog, knowledge ousted by confusion. The rigorous affects of the cold had come back tenfold. Every weakened muscle now shook uncontrollably and his lack of co-ordination hampered his movement. He was only vaguely aware of his other aches and pains as a strange numbness invaded every limb, every fibre of his body. The cocktail of terakine and cordrazine, it seemed had run its course. It was possible the captain had failed to administer a potent enough dose, hardly his fault...in any event the end result would be the same. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name but he couldn't be sure, he raised his heavy head to see who it was. Tiny flashes of light danced across his vision and his world quickly fell out of focus only to be replaced by darkness. It was a comforting dimness that enveloped him, he found himself in a place where he felt no pain, no discomfort...he embraced it.

James T. Kirk watched in horror as his friend fell limply, face forward into the frozen snow. He had keeled over like felled tree.

"SPOCK!" he screamed, then ran as fast as he could towards his first officer. The sled, still attached to his waist bobbed roughly about behind him, sending some of its contents flying. Jim ignored it completely. He practically dived into the snow beside his fallen friend and turned him over as gently as his could. He began furiously wiping snow and ice crystals from the pale face.

"Spock!" Kirk shouted loudly again, against the howling, biting wind.

"Spock, don't you dare leave me now, you hear me? Spock!"

The level of sheer panic that had suddenly crept into his normally steady tone took James T. Kirk by suprise. Panic was not in his nature, he thrived under pressure, excelled when faced with a no-win scenario and seemingly laughed in the face of death but now he was faced with the very possible imminent death of his first officer...his friend and for the first time in memory he was completely and utterly lost.


	6. Chapter 6

Leonard McCoy sat staring at the empty shot glass he had slammed down on his work station half an hour ago. Unable to sleep and unsafe to be around in sickbay, he was seriously considering annoying Scotty for a while just to kill some more time. The waiting was starting to grate on his already frayed nerves. He knew that the chief was still at his post in the transporter room. He knew that there had been no change in his friend's situation. He also knew he was going to go crazy if he just continued to sit here!

He didn't think the Scotsman would mind the intrusion, still he had a good idea how to make the unscheduled visit go a lot more smoothly. Walking over to his replicator, he keyed in his order.

Bones quickly made his way to the transporter room, tray in hand bearing his peace offering. He passed by several crew members going about their business, efficiently carrying out work etc. however the general mood of the crew seemed sombre and more sedate than normal. It was only to be expected at a time like this...no doubt word had spread faster than a case of Ankaran flu that their captain and first officer had been stranded on the surface of the planet below. It was bound to have some sort of affect on morale, there wasn't a single officer or crew member aboard that didn't hold a deep sense of respect and admiration for their young captain and although most were a little unsure of and perhaps even a little afraid of their first officer, they still were appreciative of the fact that he was fast becoming the best first officer in the fleet. Their deaths would be a huge upset to Starfleet, a monumental loss for the Enterprise and a detrimental blow to his own psyche...it could not be allowed to happen.

The doors to the transporter room swooshed open to reveal a quiet scene of organised chaos.

"Good God man! What have you done?" Bones exclaimed in dismay.

Montgomery Scott peered out from under the transporter's control station looking agitated, dishevelled and pleased all at once.

"Doctor!" he called back, "careful where ye step now ye hear," he warned, gesturing to the floor.

All over the ground lay scattered parts, bits of equipment, tools, circuit boards, cables and half a dozen butchered power units.

Bones carefully tip-toed through the clutter, moving closer to the chief and laid the tray down on the nearest piece of free floor space he could find. Scotty's eyes widened and a bright smile graced his features.

"Sandwiches! And tea!...aye but yer a decent soul," he proclaimed with a wink and scrambled out from under the panel, brushing non-existent dirt from his uniform.

"Scotty?" Bones demanded again anxiously, unable to peel his eyes away from the scene before him. What the hell had the man done? What if Jim and Spock were trying to contact them? The transporter's guts were draped all over the floor. He slumped down onto the floor beside the tray.

"Hey now lad, dinna ye worry," the chief reassured, "not only is she working but I've boosted the power by fifteen percent," he announced proudly.

Bones stared at the chief for a few seconds while the information sunk in and then a smile of his own finally appeared.

"Scotty that's great!," he shouted, grabbing the man by the arms and shaking him.

"Aye, tis, though probably nae exactly Starfleet legal," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "I had te by-pass several safety protocols and re-route power via a wee few unauthorised power conduits but she's a thing of beauty now," he nodded, satisfied with his work. "We'll be able to beam up the Captain and Mr. Spock once the signal strength from the surface reaches about eighty five percent, the new alterations will compensate for the rest."

Bones sat back against the wall, his shoulders sagging with relief as he allowed the good news to wash over him. The adjustments could cut several hours of exposure off his friend's time on the surface. He clung to that hope as Scotty greedily tucked into his ham and cheese sandwiches. The chief then reached for his tea and gently blew over the top of the mug before taking a sup. A surprised twinkle lit up his eyes as he detected a faint taste of saurian brandy in the tea. He gave the Doctor a questioning look.

"Medicinal purposes," Bones explained dead-panned, "You deserve it."

~~ooOoo~~

The seconds passed as Jim continued to stare aghast at Spock. Then something deep inside finally stirred and gave him a mental kick in the ass, he suddenly leapt into action realising that he had to work fast if he wanted to save his friend's life.

He ripped off a glove with his teeth, made a few quick fists to get the blood flowing in his exposed hand and reached into the half-Vulcan's hood to check for a pulse. The first thing that struck him was the unnatural ice cold feel of Spock's skin. Knowing how much higher his body temperature should be...this was another very troubling sign, that and the fact that his first officer had failed to react to his invading touch. Jim couldn't help but chew anxiously on his lower lip as he felt around Spock's neck for a pulse.

Finally he found it...a lot more sluggish than it should be but there none the less, his rate of respiration had also decreased significantly but at least he was breathing. He pulled off his second glove and gently placed his two somewhat warmer hands either side of his friend's face.

"Spock! Spock can you hear me?" he called out apprehensively.

No response. He tried again, pulling his hands away from Spock's face to shake his shoulders. Still no reaction, Jim could feel his own heart pounding in his chest as fear induced adrenaline rushed through his veins. Adrenaline...maybe he should risk giving the half-Vulcan another cordrazine shot, there was damn all else he could do, his arsenal of options was frustratingly empty at the moment. Decision made, he spun around to the sled to retrieve the medi-kit. It wasn't there.

"Shit!" he roared, "where the fuck is it?!"

His eyes scanned the short path he had taken back to Spock, several items were scattered about in the snow.

"Jesus Christ!" he swore in annoyance and tore at the cable around his waist to free himself from the sled. Once loose, he ran back retracing his steps looking left and right until he found what he was looking for. Picking up the precious kit, he raced back to Spock's prone form as fast as he could. By now the cold was biting at his own unprotected fingers, they were stinging and turning pink. Jim quickly blew a few warm breaths over them, rubbing his hands briskly together before replacing his gloves.

He quickly retrieved the hypo-spray, attached a new vial of stimulant and adjusted it to a much higher setting and silently prayed to God it would work. Reaching into the commander's neck once more, he injected the contents, then pulled back and hoped for some kind of reaction.

Within seconds, Spock's breathing became much more noticeable as his lungs struggled to pull the uncomfortable icy air inside. He began to stir slightly and muffled grunts of pain escaped unchecked. Jim became increasingly hopeful as his first officer became gradually more animated and less corpse like.

He leaned in once more to call his friend's name but what he saw, stole his ability to speak. Spock's normally stoic face was contorted by a mixture of pain and sorrow. Jim hadn't seen that much emotion in his first officer's features since he provoked Spock into attacking him nearly a year ago. Something was deeply bothering his friend in his semi-unconscious state. Spock struggled to move and his lips began mumble something.

Kirk tried again to wake his friend from his disturbing dreams.

"Spock it's Jim! Wake up. Can you hear me...Spock!?" Jim pleaded, leaning in closer.

His first officer's left hand seemed to reach out weakly then dropped heavily to his side.

"Mekina...ina," Spock beseeched softly. "Maiya...mekina."

Confused by words he couldn't understand, Jim shook his friend again, only a little more roughly this time.

"Damn it Spock wake up!" he shouted directly into the commander's face.

Suddenly he found himself staring into two dark spheres as Spock's eyes snapped open. Confused and disorientated, they darted about trying to take in as much information as possible before focusing again on Kirk's face. Jim smiled, releasing a huge breath of relief.

"Thank God...thought I'd lost ye there buddy," he announced while gently squeezing the half-Vulcan's shoulder.

"C..captain?" Spock questioned, still somewhat dazed.

"Yeah Spock...it's me, take it easy," Jim warned, "don't try to get up...how ye feelin'?"

"I have been...b..etter," the commander replied cautiously.

"Yeah tell me about it man...you're one tough son of bitch Spock...I'll give you that," Kirk praised in his own way.

A brief flash of disapproval shone in the first officer's eyes before quickly disappearing. He tried to ease himself into a sitting position but was quickly overcome by a wave of dizziness.

"Whoa there, where do you think you're going?" the captain demanded, pressing down gently on Spock's shoulder.

"We must c..continue to.." Spock began to explain.

"Yeah well let me just stop you right there Spock," Jim interrupted firmly, "we are continuing on towards shelter...no doubt about that but you my friend are going to lay your skinny ass down right here," he shouted, jabbing a finger at the make-shift sled.

The fleeting look of indignation that crossed Spock's face made Jim smile again and he raised his hands up.

"I don't wanna hear it Spock, I'm the captain, you're my first officer...you have to do what I say," Jim jokingly threatened his friend. He knew he was throwing a low blow by tapping into Spock's sense of duty and love of regulations but if he had to play dirty to get his friend to comply...then he would.

Spock seemed to be struggling with the whole notion of having his captain drag him the rest of the way, he found the idea of being a burden very unappealing but if he were forced to admit it, there was no way he could make it the rest of the way on his own. His mind was more alert now thanks to the stimulant but his body was too far gone. He was no longer able to exert any control over it. He was forced to give in to the logic of the situation, no matter how distasteful.

Kirk watched his friend closely, his internal battle seemed to have come to an end and he patiently waited to see what course of action Spock had decided upon.

"Very well," came the succinct reply.

"Good choice," Jim nodded in reply. He couldn't help feeling like he'd just won an argument with a stropy teenager. He reached around and grabbed the sled, moving the last few remaining items out of the way to make room for Spock. He then lined it up along side the commander's body. He then stood behind the half-Vulcan, hunched down and eased his two arms under Spock's. Grunting with exertion, he heaved the dead weight onto the sled.

"You okay?" he asked slightly breathless, once facing Spock again.

"Yes C..captain, thank you," came the subdued reply.

Jim then moved about quickly gathering up the fallen pieces of equipment and placed them around Spock, some were discarded as there was simply no room. Finally, he carefully shoved the medi-kit in beside him.

"Keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn't fall off okay?" he said, giving Spock the thumbs-up.

His first officer nodded positively in response. Jim knew it was probably killing Spock to feel so helpless, he decided to give him something to do to take his mind off his current state. So he squatted down beside Spock and pulled out his own communicator and shoved it into his friend's hand.

"Here, I want you to try and make contact with the Enterprise every ten minutes, leave the channel open in case something tries to get through, we can keep yours as a reserve if the power runs out," Jim ordered.

"Yes Sir," Spock replied with a little more enthusiasm, doing his best to hold onto the tiny device.

Kirk gave him a reassuring slap on the shoulder then stood up and gathered the cable attached to the sled once more and pulled it over his right shoulder. He gripped it tightly with both hands and began to haul the sled across the frozen surface.

Time seemed to pass slowly, progress was hampered by the weight he had to pull but there was no other option and he damn well wasn't about to leave Spock behind. His first officer continued to make a valiant effort at establishing contact but so far there had been no response. The only good luck they seemed to be having was that the wind seemed to have eased off considerably, now if they could only get a break with the electrical storm...then maybe their luck would really change.

Jim's back really ached now, he had to keep switching shoulders but the relief was always too short lived. He could feel his own strength beginning to fade, his toes were numb and it was becoming increasingly difficult to grasp the cable. The suit was doing its best to insulate him from the cold but they weren't really designed to be worn for extended periods of time. The only thing that kept him going was the glorious sight of the rock formation dead ahead, they should be there in a few more minutes.

He poured every ounce of remaining strength into pulling himself and his first officer to safety, once there it would be up to the Enterprise to get them off this God forsaken rock and if any ship in the fleet was up to the task...she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have to ask you to forgive Jim's 'colourful language'...but the poor guy's under a lot of stress, give him a break! According to the Vulcan Language Guide the words Spock utters are "Mother...no." "Please...mother." I guess he's still a little traumatised over that loss...who wouldn't be!?


	7. Chapter 7

James T. Kirk stared hard at the mammoth hunk of rock looming right in front of him. It's mottled dark grey, granite like surface was rough and irregular, deep fissures gouged out by expanding ice streaked out at odd angles. They made temporary homes for the fresh flakes of snow floating on the dying wind. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He placed his two hands flat on the ancient stone and leaned into it, momentarily resting his forehead against the jagged surface.

Thank God! He prayed silently, pausing for a second before turning his attention back to his stricken first officer.

Spock's prone form lay still on the make-shift sled, he had yet to acknowledge their arrival at the out crop. Jim moved to his side and hunched down in the snow, the powdery flakes compacted under his weight. The reason for the Vulcan's silence became suddenly clear. His friend's eyes were shut, his face muscles lax as if asleep. The captain couldn't help but worry...was it simply sleep or had Spock slipped into an unconscious state?...either way it wasn't good in his current condition. He reached into his friend's hood and tentatively brushed away the delicate white ice crystals clinging to Spock's features. The gentle contact caused the first officer to stir and his eye lids slowly fluttered open. Kirk couldn't help but smile as relief washed over him in soothing waves.

"Hi there," he happily welcomed his friend back to the land of the living.

He watched as a pair of dark eyes gradually came back into focus and honed in on his face.

"Captain?" Spock questioned weakly as he tried to ease himself up into a sitting position.

"Yeah Spock it's still me," Jim reassured, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, carefully easing him back down, "we finally made it to shelter, maybe our luck's about to change," he beamed optimistically at his first officer.

His smile was not returned, not that he expected it to be, Spock just nodded positively. Jim knew in his heart and soul that if his friend was 'functioning at optimum efficiency' he would have been subjected to an argument involving numerous statistics refuting the existence of luck but right now, as far as Kirk was concerned, any reaction from Spock was a good reaction.

Just then the Vulcan became aware of the communicator he still held firmly within his frozen grip and he remembered the task his captain had assigned him. At some stage along the last leg of their journey, he had fallen asleep...he had failed to carry out his allotted duty. Something akin to shame coursed sluggishly through his veins, he swallowed deeply, berating himself for allowing the feeling to escape his normally tight control and more importantly, for failing his captain.

Kirk all too easily detected the slight shift in his first officer's demeanour. He tracked the Vulcan's gaze to the open communicator and put two and two together. Jim shook his head in disbelief and couldn't help but roll his eyes, trust Spock to belittle himself in a situation like this...only he could find fault where there was none to be found. He reached out and found himself prying open his first officer's hand once again. As he removed the device, Spock's gaze broke and he looked to his captain. Jim smiled. The Vulcan saw no reproach, no blame...he was silently grateful.

"Here Spock, let me take that for a while," Kirk said as he hastily closed the communicator and shoved it into a pocket in his survival jacket out of sight. "I've got to get you out of here and into some decent cover until Scotty can get us the hell off this planet."

Spock understood the change of subject for what it was and went along with his friend's suggestion. "Agreed," he complied.

Jim gave Spock a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"Good," he nodded, "look, I'm going to scout ahead a little to find us a better spot...okay?"

Spock sensed a certain amount of worry and trepidation behind his captain's words, he was not as confident as his bearing suggested, perhaps he feared not being able to secure more suitable protection for them both...knowing what that could ultimately mean.

"I understand Captain," the Vulcan officer replied, unable to banish the weariness from his voice, "you are more than up to the task," he added, with as much conviction as possible.

A fleeting puzzled look graced Jim's face.

'Was that Spock's idea of a pep talk?' he wondered. 'And more importantly, am I that transparent to him?! I know Vulcan's are perceptive...but Jesus!'

Sometimes Spock just surprised the hell out of him, he appreciated his friend's attempt at encouragement but at the same time did his best to ignore the fact that he'd just been read like an open book despite his best efforts to put on a brave front.

"Promise me you won't try to move," he demanded whilst pointing a gloved finger at his friend.

An elegant eyebrow rose in surprise at the captain's words.

"I shall not move," Spock promised.

Inwardly he almost baulked at the notion, right now he wasn't sure he could move if his very life depended on it...it was not a condition he relished...at the same time he deeply appreciated the fact that both he and his captain were still alive, considering the odds they were up against. No doubt the captain would put it all down to 'Lady Luck' or some other ridiculous notion.

Satisfied for now at his first officer's response, Kirk stood up and began searching for a more sheltered spot, the biting wind had died down considerably compared to earlier but the temperature was still freezing cold and any sort of chilled air made it feel even colder. If they could just wedge themselves in somewhere away from the unforgiving elements for the next few hours, they might just make it. He steadily worked his way along the edge of the enormous rock, gripping it's surface as he moved until he finally found what he was looking for.

'Huh! Guess Spock was right.'

Sometimes the blind faith and unerring trust his crew had in him unnerved him a little. He still didn't feel quite worthy of such devotion and wondered absently how much longer he would feel as though he still had to prove himself to both his crew and Starfleet.

Refocusing his mind, he eyed up their future lodgings. It wasn't exactly the cosy, comfortable captain's quarters that he longed for but it would have to do for now. He'd just be able to fit their two bodies into the large crevice in the ancient stone, it would offer them protection on three sides, maybe he could use the container lid to block up the last remaining side, it was big enough for the task. Happy with he plan, he headed back the short distance to Spock with the good news.

"Hey Spock!" he shouted as he approached the science officer.

When the Vulcan shakily looked up, he continued.

"I found us the perfect spot, we'll be there in a few minutes," he reported enthusiastically and bent down to pick up the cable attached to the sled.

Without waiting for a response from his first officer, Jim began to haul the sled over the frozen surface, he had a job to do now and was determined to see it done. True to his word they reached the spot in about ten minutes.

"Okay Spock, this is it," he gestured at the wide crevice, "Home sweet home."

The Vulcan studied the geological formation picked out by his captain, it had some potential as a refuge from the harsh elements but it was going to be quite cramped. He almost considered suggesting to his captain that he find an alternative haven but instantly dismissed the idea. What was one more level of discomfort to deal with? So instead he replied...

"It should p...provide adequate cover Captain."

Kirk's stomach lurched a little at the slight stutter in his friend's speech. Spock had been doing so well lately, the cocktail of drugs had helped to keep him lucid up till now but it was inevitable that they would not last forever. He was afraid that if Spock crashed again, not even the synthetic stimulant could help this time. That thought spurred him into action.

"Let's get you tucked safely inside," he suggested.

Knowing that his first officer was unable to move, Jim moved behind Spock and as before eased his arms under Spock's and clasped them tight across his chest.

"Ready?" he checked.

The Vulcan nodded positively, silently and stoically accepting the help.

Face scrunched with determination, Jim heaved his friend up and away from the sled, he heard the half strangled wince as it escaped but did not stop, it was better to get Spock into cover first. His injured side may not kill him but the cold definitely could. A large flash of electrical energy streaked across the grey sky as if to emphasise the point that they both could be there for some time.

He eased his friend as far into the crevice as he could and then gently lowered him to the ground, carefully propping his back up against the rock. Without delay he returned outside and grabbed the medi-kit then stashed it safely inside. He cast aside some of the extraneous supplies and turned the container lid on its side. Walking backwards into the gap, he wedged the lid into the opening then bent down and packed some snow around the base to secure it and cut off some potential draughts.

Happy with his handy work, he brushed the excess snow and ice from his gloves, his hands were cold enough. Jim turned around in the small space and looked down at Spock. There was just enough room for the Vulcan, it was going to be a tighter squeeze than he initially thought.

'Time to suck it up Jimbo, hell it could be worse!' he thought.

He knelt down beside his first officer and then began purposefully edging himself closer and closer until Spock eventually turned to look at him questioningly.

"C...captain?" the Vulcan inquired.

Jim wasn't sure he ever heard that tone in Spock's voice before, he couldn't quite put a name to it. He waved a placating hand in the air.

"Relax Spock, look it makes perfect sense...hell it's logical for Christ's sake! One; it's a cramped space, two; you are suffering from severe hypothermia and need all the body heat you can get and three; I'm bloody freezing my ass off too!" he shouted.

He could see the science officer mulling over his blurted out arguments, trying to come to a decision. Jim ripped off his protective visor and looked his friend hard in the eyes.

"Look Spock, if it makes you feel any better, when we get out of this you can meet me in the rec-room and whoop my ass at that weird chess game you love so much...invite the entire crew to watch my humiliation and defeat if you like or maybe you could beat me senseless with a few sparring sessions in the gym...whatever you want!" he bellowed with a slight hint of anger.

Spock lowered his gaze, unable to watch his captain plea bargain unnecessarily. Swallowing his damned Vulcan pride, he spoke softly.

"T..that will n...not be necessary Captain, your logic is s...sound."

Kirk released a sigh. He hadn't meant to lash out like that, maybe the stress of their predicament was finally getting to him.

"Sorry Spock," he apologised quietly.

After a moment he continued to ease himself further back into fissure until he was almost lying directly under his first officer. Jim knew it was better that Spock be kept up off the freezing surface and away from the cold stone, he just wished his friend wasn't so damned heavy. The Vulcan had tensed considerably while Kirk manoeuvred himself into position but now he could feel him relaxing slightly. Neither one was going to forget this particular mission for a long time. He decided to try and make contact with the Enterprise again and dug out the communicator from his pocket.

Flipping it open, he spoke...

"Kirk to Enterprise, Scotty come in."

Nothing but static, hardly surprising. He tried again a few more times but each attempt at contact was met with failure. Jim wanted to throw the device against the unyielding rock, smashing it into a hundred tiny pieces but instead he carefully placed it on the medi-kit, leaving it open just in case Scotty could latch onto their weak signal.

Unfortunately it didn't take long for the tremors to return to Spock's body, the stimulant was finally beginning to break down in his system.

'Dammit!' Kirk swore internally and wondered if he should risk using the hypo again now or wait until things got really bad. He decided to wait a little longer. He wrapped his arms around his friend, hugging him tightly, easing some of the shaking. He wanted to try and share as much body heat as possible while at the same time resisting the urge to rub Spock up and down. He vaguely remembered that it was not the advisable thing to do.

'Keep him talking, that should help.'

"Spock! Spock can you hear me?"

His request was answered by a strange groan and a half mumbled word.

Jim shook his first officer gently then reached up one gloved hand to pat him several times on the face.

"Spock! Answer me!" he shouted a little more anxiously.

The Vulcan's head rolled back a little then snapped forward abruptly as if suddenly awake.

"C...captain, I can hear y...you," came the shaky reply.

"Good! Good Spock, you have to try to stay awake...understand?"

"Y...yes..understand."

It certainly wasn't his first officer's usual eloquent prose but it would do for now. So long as he could keep some portion of Spock's brain occupied, then maybe he could help to keep disaster at bay. But what exactly were they going to talk about? Then it suddenly hit him. Spock had said something before while almost unconscious in the snow, probably something Vulcan, Jim knew he sure as hell didn't understand it. Trouble was, whatever it was, it did seem to be having a negative affect at the time. Maybe he should forget about it and just pick a safe topic, talk about other crew members, planets, warp theories, chess...

In the end his insatiable curiosity won out.

"You said something before Spock when you went down in the snow, pretty sure it may have been Vulcan, sounded like makini, no mokina or something like that."

The Vulcan tensed once more in his arms and Kirk suddenly wished he had better control over his own mouth.

"Mekina," Spock supplied tonelessly.

"Yes," Jim replied hesitantly, "That's it...what...what does it mean?"

'May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb!', he swallowed nervously.

"It m...means 'mother'."

'Ah SHIT!'


	8. Chapter 8

Right about now Jim Kirk was silently wishing another fissure would just open up and swallow him whole, that or for some strange vortex to suddenly yet conveniently appear, sucking him deep into the cold vacuum of space...either predicament was infinitely preferable to the one he currently found himself in. Some how the term 'awkward' just didn't do it justice.

Out of all the possible bloody meanings that one word had to translate to, it had to be concerned with the one subject matter that still rested uneasily between himself and his first officer. It was the hulking elephant that followed them everywhere, waving its considerably trunk in their faces and yet they still managed to studiously ignore it.

Bones had warned him, hell he implored with him to talk to Spock about what had happened, to clear the air between them but Jim disregarded the sound advice and now it had come rushing back to bite him in the ass. He deserved no less. A pang of shame brought a slight flush to his frozen features as he reluctantly remembered telling Bones that it was in Spock's best interests to avoid the issue, he was after all a very private being.

'Bullshit!' was the astute Doctor's reply and he was right it was all bullshit, as much as he was loath to admit it, James T. Kirk had been afraid.

Afraid to confront the issue, afraid of what his friend might say or do in response, afraid of apologising and appearing weak.

However, now that he had almost a year of command under his belt, looking after the lives of his crew, putting them first and not his ego, a year in which he had grown, matured more than he thought possible, he knew now that personal pride had no part to play in this scenario.

Admitting ones faults, acknowledging ones strengths and weaknesses, apologising for ones actions no matter how necessary and harsh they may have been...these are not the actions of a weak individual but that of a person secure in their own skin. It was time to make amends...but just as he was about to speak...

"I...I never told her I l...loved her."

The softly spoken confession was steeped in a myriad of barely concealed emotions and Jim couldn't help but wince as guilt twisted it's ugly knife once more in his gut. His own accusing words 'You never loved her!' resounded loudly in his head.

He had basically accused his first officer of being a cold unfeeling machine, incapable of comprehending the meaning of emotions, let alone capable of experiencing them.

And even as the cruel taunt had escaped his lips, the all too recent memories of the meld with Spock Prime flooded his mind. He knew his words to be untrue, the half Vulcan was capable of depths of feeling perhaps much greater than any human...he simply chose to control and conceal them.

But the gloves were off, he urgently needed Spock to relinquish that control and sub sequentially command of the Enterprise and so he went in for the kill, pouring acid over a wound so raw it still bled.

The resulting violent outburst had caught him off guard, crushing blows rained down on him as he was tossed about the bridge of the Enterprise like a rag doll. He remembered the flash of panic as the vice like grip tightened around his throat.

He was under no illusion that had it not been for Spock's father Sarek, things may have taken a disastrous turn for the worse. But fate it seemed was on his side and everything had worked out fine in the end. He had been branded a hero, was officially made Captain of the Enterprise and all else was casually brushed aside.

Right about now, heroic was the last thing he felt. His best friend was close to losing consciousness, perhaps even dangerously close to dying in his arms and the only thoughts that plagued Spock's mind was that he had some how failed as a son by failing to tell his mother he loved her...it was a profoundly personal admission.

Jim's cruel barb had been more on target than he'd ever realised.

The young captain swallowed deeply.

"I'm sorry Spock, I am very, very sorry. What I said back then on the bridge was inexcusable, it was a cruel thing to say but you've got to know that I didn't mean it. Your older self told me it was the only way...I had to do it, I had to show you were emotionally compromised. Please tell me you understand...please," Jim implored as he tightly held his friend.

Spock's head slowly turned and his dark eyes momentarily studied the human's face before sluggishly rotating back.

"I und...understand Jim but it ch...changes n...nothing," came his friend's defeated reply.

"No!" Kirk shouted with as much vehemence as he could muster, "That's not true! When you re-materialised on that transporter pad and saw that your mother hadn't made it, even a blind man could see how much she meant to you. If it was that obvious to us...then she knew Spock, trust me man...she knew."

Jim paused a moment as some old memories from his childhood came rushing back bringing a much needed smile to his face.

"Mothers know things Spock, they know you love them even when you give them the silent treatment for days, when you forget their birthday, hell even when you storm out of the house yelling 'I hate you!' at the top of your lungs...they just know...your mother knew you loved her Spock...never doubt that," Jim cautioned warmly.

Spock's increasingly clouded mind struggled to focus on his captain's voice. The old terran saying 'actions speak louder than words' seemed to be the message hidden within the words of encouragement.

Perhaps the man was right, his mother was always so perceptive when it came to reading him.

Growing up on Vulcan as a child of mixed heritage had not been easy. He struggled daily to make an extra effort at controlling his emotions, he tried so hard to not be a disappointment to his father but no matter how hard he worked on his mask of impassivity, his mother could always see right through it.

She knew when the taunts of his peers had been particularly cruel at school, she knew when his anger threatened to bubble over and burst through his false calm and most importantly, she knew when he felt ashamed and fearful that he had let down his family.

Those were that days when she would take him out for a walk, they would leave the city of Shi'Kahr and wander for hours through the vast expanse of Vulcan's Forge. Sometimes they would sit and stare off into the distance at the L-langon Mountains and she would read him ancient stories from Earth. Sometimes her favourite author Lewis Carroll or stories in which Greek and Roman heroes would spring to life, where seemingly weak and worthless youths would overcome daunting adversaries, showing bravery and strength of character beyond their years. He never admitted it but he always enjoyed those stories and those precious moments with his mother.

It was strange to think that despite growing up in a culture that prized logic and reason over emotion, that valued structure and order over chaos, the one place he felt most at peace was by his mother's side. His emotional, flawed and oft erratic human mother was his sanctuary. She was his rock.

And he would do anything for her.

He remembered outwardly putting on a show of enduring her loving hugs and kisses in the privacy of their home when he was small, whilst inside he secretly craved her affections. He pretended to tolerate her gentle ministrations to any minor injury he would receive all the while he silently thanked her for her tenderness. He always conceded and took part in the traditional earth celebrations that she loved so much, though to this day he never understood the significance of blowing out candles on a cake.

He would blame his involvement on his insatiable Vulcan curiosity but in truth he loved to see his mother smile...she had so few occasions to do so, surrounded by beings that disapproved of such open facial expressions.

He defended his mother's honour in a most un-Vulcan like manner when his fellow students branded her a whore even though it brought condemnation from his instructors, he even refused to join the prestigious Vulcan Science Academy because of their prejudiced attitudes towards her. He would not willing spend the rest of his years surrounded by people that considered her a disadvantage...she was anything but.

His mother told him regularly that she loved him and was proud of him no matter what path he chose and although he never replied in kind, he was perhaps doing her a dis-service to assume that she didn't know her feelings were reciprocated all be it silently and privately.

Perhaps in this instance his captain was right, maybe his actions did speak louder than any words and although he would probably always harbour a small trace of regret that he never once actually uttered those very human words, he was more at peace now and he felt some of his guilt wash away.

As the silence stretched out, Kirk was beginning to think that his first officer had fallen asleep..or worse. He gently shook the form held within his stiff, aching arms.

"S..spock?" he queried, somewhat alarmed at the stutter in his own voice. The cold it seemed was finally getting the better of him.

His Vulcan friend gradually turned weakly once more, struggling to make eye contact.

"Th..thank you Jim," the feeble voice whispered before his friend's head lolled back against his shoulder.

"Your welcome Spock...any t..time," Jim reassured.

He was about to speak again, to engage Spock in conversation in an effort to keep them both conscious when his ears picked up a faint crackle of static. Thankful that the winds had eased, he reached out listlessly and tried several times to pick up the small communicator, it was getting harder to co-ordinate his movements. With tremendous effort he picked up the device, it felt so heavy like it was made of iridium, he shakily held it to his mouth.

"Ss..scotty, Kirk here, c..come in."

Static.

"Ent...enterprise t..this is Kirk," he stuttered as the tremors over powered him.

Still nothing.

His arm flopped down by his side of it's own accord but the communicator still rested within his open hand.

"S..spock?" he called out with worrying frailty as his strength seemed to flee him.

But there was no response. His friend had hung on for as long as he possibly could but no more. The welcoming depths of unconsciousness had finally claimed him.

As his own eyes became unbearably heavy, Jim wondered how much longer he could hang on. He didn't want to die here, he had hoped that Scotty would find a way to get them out of this frozen hell hole, the man was nothing if not a miracle worker but time was rapidly running out.

As he lay there a strange numbness ebbed in waves throughout his body. It was most disconcerting that he could no longer feel Spock's weight resting against him. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he followed the irregular patterns of fog as each breath left him but even this simple task was becoming too much. He was losing, his body was spent and was shutting down rapidly...the outcome was inevitable.

As his eyes finally closed and consciousness fled him, he failed to hear the tiny broken voice emanating from his communicator.


	9. Chapter 9

Montgomery Scott's face scrunched up as if in pain. He manoeuvred his right ear directly over the speaker in the transporter console straining to hear, whilst simultaneously boosting the volume.

"What?!" Bones demanded urgently, raising both arms in frustration. "For Christ's sake man don't keep it to yourself, what do you hear?" McCoy was growing increasingly agitated by the second.

Reluctant to get the Doctor's hopes up unnecessarily, Scott replied hesitantly, "I'm nae too sure but I coulda swore I heard somethin' faint penetrate through the static."

"Well that's great!" Bones burst back, hope suddenly renewed, he clung to the Chief's words like a life line.

Less confident, Scotty tried to make contact with the stranded crew members once more.

"Scott to Captain Kirk, come in please," he demanded urgently.

Silence.

"Scott to Mr. Spock, please respond."

Again nothing.

He slowly turned to face the Doctor, not exactly eager to see the disappointment and despair he knew would be there. Suddenly a sharp beep caught his attention and he swiftly redirected his eyes to the display panel. A small red light flashed in time to the repeating beep and for the first time in what felt like forever, a tiny flare of hope erupted inside him.

"Well wud ya look at that!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Bones demanded, his voice hushed yet urgent as he moved closer to the Chief and gripped the instrument board.

Scotty's hands danced once more across the modified console, his fingers seeming to work independently of his body as they pressed buttons and twisted chrome dials.

"For Christ's sake man, is it them?" McCoy shouted, his fist slamming against the edge of the display panel, no longer able to contain his pent up frustration.

The engineer briefly looked up smiling.

"Aye, locking onto them now," he explained.

Relief washed over the doctor's body in glorious waves but just as Scott was about to initiate transport the red light went dark and the encouraging beep went silent.

"Oh no! Not now...son of a bitch!" Scotty growled through gritted teeth. "It's gone, the bloody signal is gone...I had it, it was right there, weak but just enough, we only needed 85%..."

Bones felt like ripping apart the confounded contraption with his bare hands.

"God damn unless piece of..."

His angry tirade was interrupted by a tiny beep and all words froze in his throat. His eyes glued to the little red light that flickered erratically, as if the intense power of his stare alone could keep it working.

"T'is nae a steady signal," Scotty explained worriedly, "we could loose them mid transport."

"If we leave them down there much longer...they're dead for sure," the Doctor advised anxiously.

Scotty nodded grimly in agreement, decision made, he began to operate the transporter and Bones couldn't help but observe the slight tremor in the man's hands.

As soon as the device flickered into life, the doctor ordered two of his staff to the transporter room and he began moving the two anti-grav stretchers he had on stand-by closer to the pads.

The iridescent swirling lights of the dual beams seemed to go on forever, fading in and out depending on the strength of the signal coming from the planet below.

For one brief heart stopping moment they almost seemed to disappear entirely and McCoy thought he had lost his friends forever. But just as he felt that all hope was lost the beams coalesced, gathering substance and the outline of the Captain and First Officer shimmered brightly, seconds later the unmoving bodies of Kirk and Spock re-materialised on the platform.

Scotty and Bones froze for an instant at the disturbing image before rushing to the aid of their friends. The doctor frantically ran his medical tricorder over the seemingly lifeless forms, gathering critical information and readings while Scotty carefully supported them. Finally releasing a breath, he sighed with relief.

"They're alive...just," he reported whilst administering a hypo to each man in an effort to stabilise them before attempting to move them.

Bones called over his two staff members and everyone helped to gently pry apart the two officers before hurriedly placing each one on an anti-grav stretcher and heading straight to sickbay.

Scotty stayed behind for just a moment to notify medical that the Doctor and patients were on the way.

When Montgomery Scott finally arrived in sickbay there was a flurry of organised activity. Medical staff were moving purposefully back and forth between the two critical patients and various pieces of equipment, each one attentively following the Doctor's instructions and demands.

A small team hovered close to each diagnostic bed, expertly attending to the men's needs. The Chief knew they couldn't be in better hands, if anyone could pull the Captain and Spock back from the brink of death, it was McCoy and his staff.

As he stood aside silently watching the crew members endeavouring to save his friends, Bones looked up and they made eye contact for a brief moment. The doctor was as serious as he'd ever seen, confident and focused on the task at hand. The glance, though fleeting, conveyed a wealth of information. The Captain and Spock were critical but Bones was going to do his damnedest to get them both through. Satisfied, Scotty made his way to the bridge.

~ooOoo~ 

James T. Kirk felt like he was floating on a cloud, something soft was cushioning him from beneath and yet he still ached all over. He tried to move but the effort was just too much, his arms felt weak and laden down. He quickly came to the grim realisation that at the moment he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. His mind was fuzzy yet he struggled to remember what had happened? Where might he be? But for the moment confusion reigned and his questions went unanswered.

As he lay there helpless in his dark cocoon, the memory of one sensation slowly crept back into his hazy thoughts...cold, the feeling of being utterly cold to the bone, an icy chill severe enough to rob him of consciousness, enough to take his life. But for some reason that wasn't the case now, now he felt warm, comfortable, safe even and it was heavenly. He could quite happily lie here forever and he may have if not for one word that abruptly sprung forth from the depths of his consciousness.

Spock!

Suddenly it all came rushing back, the landing party, the ice planet, being stranded with Spock.

A burst of panic induced adrenaline gushed unchecked through Jim's veins, it gave him a small burst of strength, just enough to open his eyes. They fluttered open after several attempts and were greeted by a soft glow of subdued lighting coming from above. Almost instantly a blurry shadow appeared over him and blocked out most of the light. As his vision focused, a familiar face, concerned but smiling, came into view.

"Jim, can you hear me?" Bones asked gently.

It took a couple of seconds for the words to make sense. His brain was still a little sluggish and slow in processing their meaning but once he managed it, Jim carefully shook his head in affirmation. He heard a soft sigh of relief as a comforting hand was pressed against his shoulder.

"Good, that's good Jim," Bones reassured.

"B...Bones" he struggled to reply, his voice felt frail and raspy.

"I'm here Jim, take it easy," the Doctor cautioned then moved out of his field of vision for a second. "Here have a sip of this," he offered upon returning.

McCoy eased a hand behind his Captain's head and gently inched him forward, then placed a plastic beaker and straw into his patient's mouth. Kirk took a few sips of the luke warm water, it felt strange but good and some of the fuzziness left his mouth. Bones removed the drink and slowly lowered the man's head back against the raised bio-bed.

"You're going to feel very weak for a few more hours Jim but your strength will return, your body core temperature is almost normal again so we're going to keep you under the warming field for another three hours. Luckily there's no permanent damage, I was able to reverse all the early signs of frost bite on your extremities but they'll still look red and feel a little numb for a while. All in all you're one lucky son of a bitch!" the Doctor reported happily.

The Captain followed his physician's account as best he could, generally it seemed to be good news...at least he was alive but his main concern was not for himself.

"S...Spock?" he queried weakly.

For the first time Leonard broke eye contact with his friend and glanced at the floor. The frown lines in his brow deepened with worry and concern. Another surge of adrenaline surged through Jim's system at his C.M.O's reaction and he immediately braced himself for the worse possible news.

"Bones?" he pleaded tentatively.

He had to know what had happened to Spock, he just hoped to God that the stubborn half Vulcan had survived.

They'd been through so much together in such a relatively short period of time. Setar VI wasn't the first time they'd faced death together, some how they'd always managed to cheat total disaster or utter annihilation and successfully complete each mission by pooling their resources and calling upon each others skills, knowledge and experience.

Jim's passion, intuition and fire were tempered by Spock's control, logic and calm, together they completed each other and made the perfect command team. It was a powerful combination that James T. Kirk was growing accustomed to and wasn't prepared to give up.

McCoy's eyes focused on his Captain once again and then looked to his right. Jim slowly turned his head in an effort to track the Doctor's gaze, his own eyes soon rested on a bio-bed a short distance from his own. On it lay the still form of his First Officer, his body bathe in the shimmering gold light of a force field. Despite the worrying sight, soothing waves of relief washed over him...Spock was alive...and that's all that mattered, anything and everything else would be dealt with in time. He was alive. Kirk's concentration was broken by a heavy sigh.

"It's been touch and go for the last few hours but I finally think we have him stabilised. The cold has done a lot of damage Jim but in one way it actually helped save his life, his metabolism had slowed so much that the hypoxia didn't cause brain death and I was able to revive him. We had to gradually re-warm his blood and irrigate his thorax, stomach and bladder with warmed fluids. I estimate it'll be another hour before his core temperature is back to normal, he won't regain consciousness before then," Bones reported.

"What else?" the Captain queried, knowing there was more.

Bones sighed wearily once more and shock his head to the side.

"Well like I said Jim, there was a lot of damage, the skin on his extremities suffered the most. He had severe frost bite on his nose and ear tips. He's getting treatments with the tissue regenerator every twenty minutes. The outlook is promising. I know the pointed-eared bastard would never forgive me if I left him looking like one of us," Bones smiled in an effort at lightning the situation.

Kirk smiled back weakly, appreciating the sentiment.

"As for his fingers and toes, they're going to take some time to recover, it'll be a while before his has full feeling and he'll find walking difficult for a while, may need to spend some time in physio, which I'm sure he'll love...."

Jim forced his mind to focus on the Doctor's words, he needed to hear this, he needed to know that Spock would be okay but it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. He could feel the pull of sleep tugging at his consciousness, like a dark curtain slowly dragging across his field of vision. He blinked a few times to try and refocus but his eye lids seemed to be working independently of his will and refused to stay open.

Bones noted the weariness creep back into the Captain's face, it was time for his patient to rest again..

"Okay Jim, that's enough for now, you need to rest. I'll be here when you wake up and Spock is stable, he's not going anywhere. Go back to sleep now or I'll sedate your stubborn ass," he warned lightly.

Kirk smiled faintly at his friend's threat, he really wanted to counter the playful jibe with one of his own but he was totally spent. Instead he settled for a nod of compliance and allowed his eyes to close.

As soon as Jim's eyes shut, Bones reinstated the warming field over the man's body and moved the Spock's bed. It was time for another session with the dermal regenerator. He really hoped to Christ he got the shape of those blasted tips right or he would never hear the end of it!


	10. Chapter 10

Leonard McCoy gently removed his steady hands from the shimmering force field surrounding his patient's body. The dermal treatment was finally over and Spock's extremities were looking a hell of a lot better, a small relieved sigh escaped unnoticed.

He looked back and forth between his two friends and silently thanked what ever Gods were watching over them. To say they had been lucky was a major understatement and Bones just hoped their run of luck wouldn't run out any time soon.

Sickbay was quite now, the late shift had taken over some time ago, a mere 'skeleton' crew that manned the facility during the artificially imposed night. The organised chaos had passed and the C.M.O had a few quite moments now to reflect on the preceding hours.

The image of Kirk and Spock's frozen rigid bodies materialising on that transporter pad was emblazoned into his mind, it was easily the most frightened he had ever been in his entire life, he was sure his own heart had stopped at the sight.

After the initial shock had passed, his training automatically kicked in and both he and Scotty had dashed towards their stricken officers. There was the rush to check for vitals, the fleeting relief at finding faint life signs, the urgency to administer a plethora of hypos in order to stabilise them further, the crackling sound of ice shattering as they cautiously untangled the bodies, the stiffness of the fabric of the survival suits and the memory of how cold his own hands had felt on touching them as they lifted them onto separate anti-grav stretchers and bolted out the transporter room to sickbay.

The journey itself felt like it was taking forever, he had quickly assessed that Spock was the more critical of the two, this hadn't come as a complete surprise but it meant that he had stayed by the Vulcan's stretcher all the way to the med-lab and merely shouted the occasional instruction to his staff meticulously working on the captain.

His team were forced to stop midway when alarms in the moving bio-bed suddenly screeched at them. Spock was crashing. He waved the other team on ahead while he frantically tore at the survival suit to expose the cold body within, he ripped apart the left side of the blue science tunic to reveal skin. The normal subtle greenish tinge was missing, he'd worry about that later, for now he needed to get his patient's heart beating again.

A nurse beside him deftly placed the mobile cardio-stimulator into his open hand and he placed it over the Vulcan's heart. Spock's body arched ever so slightly as the small device shocked him but the loud warning beeps didn't cease, he was still flat-lining. Bones had to up the charge and try again.

This time it worked and the alarms fell mercifully silent. A quick scan with the tricorder had revealed a steady and inhumanly fast heart beat and they proceeded once again to sick bay. The hours that followed had been a blur of activity, orders were shouted, treatments were administered, vitals were monitored, over and over again until both men finally seemed to stabilise enough that they could be left alone to recover in peace.

Finally all was quiet, Jim had regained consciousness for a brief moment but was sleeping soundly once more, just the soft steady beeps from the bio-beds kept Bones company now. He felt weary and honestly believed that only thing preventing him from downing a large Saurian brandy right now to soothe his shattered nerves was the fact that he was pulling a double shift to watch over his friends...besides, there would be plenty of time for celebrations later.

Bone's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of red to his left. Looking up, he spotted the slight frame of Lt. Gordan. She smiled shyly at him, a little worried and unsure of herself. She never did like visits to sick bay. Bones waved her over.

"Come in Dayna," he invited.

She hesitated ever so slightly before moving over to stand by his side. She looked back and forth between her Captain and First-Officer.

"How are they?" she enquired softly.

"They're doing a lot better, I expect them both to make a full recovery," he replied confidently, whilst throwing the young officer a reassuring smile.

The Lieutenant's shoulders dropped as some of the tension drained from her body. She had been very concerned about her senior officers, after all it had been her distress call that had brought them both to the surface of Setar VI. Intellectually she knew she was not to blame for what had transpired after the landing party had appeared, she was not to blame for the weather conditions, all of it had been beyond her control but she still couldn't totally squash the pang of guilt in her gut. However the doctor's good news was certainly helping to ease her troubled mind.

"Thank you Doctor," she replied gratefully, smiling warmly at the man and then quietly left to return to her duties.

~ooOoo~

Bones critically eyed the monitors above the bio-beds of both patients once more. He calmly noted a slight positive change in Spock's brain-wave activity and some of his other physiological indicators were also showing steady increases in activity. It was a good sign. The doctor moved closer to the Vulcan's side, de-activated the warming force field and waved his tri-corder over the immobile form for a more detailed readout. He couldn't suppress the huge smile that broke out on his face...hell he didn't want to...Spock was finally waking up.

He lay the tri-corder down and leaned in closer to his friend's right ear.

"Spock, can you hear me? Come on Spock wake up", he encouraged.

The Vulcan's eyes fluttered more at the Doctor's words and slowly began to open.

"Well hello there!, welcome back to the land of the living Spock," Bones announced with equal amounts of relief and happiness.

Before waiting for a verbal response, he waved a small pen light in front of the Vulcan's dark eyes. Both pupils contracted instantly and a tiny frown etched itself into the pale brow. He absently noted the positive response and the small show of discomfort, something a fully conscious Spock would never permit. He swept over his patient's body with the medical scanner once more for an up-date. Everything still looked good, except there was still no reply from the Vulcan.

"How ya' feelin' Spock?" he asked, resisting the urge to lay a comforting hand on his patient's shoulder.

Meanwhile Spock's mind was struggling to form a coherent response, everything felt sluggish and disorientated. Simple words seemed to have escaped him, it was a most disconcerting sensation. He did however recognise the human before him, leaning in far too close for Spock's liking but helpless to do anything about it for now.

Then a word suddenly leapt to the fore of his consciousness as the layers of thick fog around his mind slowly began to dissipate.

"Doctor," he simply stated.

Despite the weak voice, Bones beamed.

"Yes Spock! It's me, you're back on board the Enterprise. You made my staff and I earn our keep there for a while but your stats have finally stabilised and are looking good," he happily informed his friend.

As his mental faculties gradually returned, Spock was able to make increasing sense of the doctor's words. Despite the odds, it would seem he survived the rigours of Setar VI and he was aware enough to remember that he had not endured such hardships alone.

"The Captain?" he enquired softly, careful not to allow his concern for the man to tinge his voice.

Bones shook his head. "Don't worry Spock, he's fine and has already regained consciousness, he's just resting quietly now, which is exactly what you'll be doing my pointed-eared friend..."

Quiet unexpectedly the Doctor burst into heartfelt laughter.

Unsure as to what would cause such a sudden emotional reaction, Spock merely observed the man quietly.

"Ah sorry about that Spock," Bones apologised as he wiped a stray tear from his face, " I guess I was just relieving some pent up tension, you know for a while there I thought I might never be able to utter those words again," he added cryptically.

An elegant eyebrow rose in return.

"Please explain."

"Well Spock, those devilish lugs of yours got hit by frost bite really bad," he began, silently catching the slight widening in his patient's eyes, "but as a result of my uncanny skills as a surgeon, they're on the mend. They're not exactly their 'normal' colour yet but once they get filled with that green gunk in your veins that passes for blood...they should be looking fine."

Spock couldn't help but shakily reach up and touch the tips of his ears, as his discoloured fingers came into view, another tiny wave of alarm swept through him. His ears felt cold and numb to the touch but otherwise no different, however an accurate self-diagnosis at this time was impossible, his fingers were not exactly a reliable source of information.

But despite experiencing a small measure of concern, he was confident in his doctor's prognosis. The man may be an irrational, emotional human but he was an excellent physician, not that he would ever voice such beliefs openly.

He also knew that the man's antagonistic attitude was merely a front to mask his true feelings, Doctor McCoy was actually deeply concerned. In fact Spock had observed that as a rule, the more cantankerous the man became, the more worried he actually was. Most illogical it may seem but then Spock knew that logic and the Doctor were about as compatible as matter and anti-matter. His fiery friend ran an emotional gauntlet every minute of every day of his life, how he continued to be an invaluable and productive crew member was often a mystery.

"Thank you Doctor," Spock simply replied, not really having the strength to enter into a verbal sparring match right now.

Bones moved in a little closer and despite his earlier efforts of restraint, he patted the Vulcan gently on the shoulder.

"You're most welcome Spock," he smiled, then eased back. "We'll talk more about your condition later but for now you get some rest ya hear or I'll sedate your equally stubborn ass too and if ya need anything just holler!" and with those parting instructions Bones reactivated the warming field and headed for his office, leaving a slightly bemused Spock behind.

As soon as the Doctor was out of sight, Spock glanced to his right, there sleeping peacefully was his Captain. It gave him a certain amount of unexplainable peace knowing his friend was alive and well and for once he did not begrudge himself this small comfort.

A few quite moments of silent contemplation passed before Spock turned back, weariness was setting in already, he reluctantly submitted and allowed his eyes to close, they felt so heavy and he no longer had the spare energy to keep them open. Before the bliss of oblivion gripped his consciousness once more, he mentally performed a quick catalogue of his injuries, the pain in his head was gone and his side no longer ached, the doctor had been very thorough as always.

As Spock slipped into a deep healing sleep, shrouded in a gratifying heat, his last thoughts were of how insufferable McCoy was going to be over the coming days.

~ooOoo~

Jim Kirk wasn't exactly sure how many hours had passed since he last woke up but judging by the grumbling in his stomach, he guessed it was quite a few. He felt much more alive this time, more alert, still not his usual energetic self but definitely on the mend. A quick glance to his left revealed the sleeping form of his First Officer. It was hard to tell from the shimmering force field that surrounded them both but it looked as though Spock's colour had improved and that made Jim happy.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as pretty blonde woman walked by the foot of his bio-bed and he called out.

"Nurse."

She immediately lowered the data pad she had been reading and turned her full attention to her Captain.

Smiling brightly, she spoke, "Good to see you awake Captain Kirk, let me get Doctor McCoy for you, he wanted to be notified the moment you woke up," and with that she quickly disappeared into Bones' office.

Inside the small partitioned office one exhausted Leonard McCoy lay sleeping, slumped over his desk, face buried in a small pile of data discs.

Christine Chapel shook her head at the man's stubbornness. He blankly refused every single suggestion she had made over the previous few hours to leave the med-lab and go rest in his quarters.

He wanted to be here when his patients woke up he had said mulishly and besides, he had lots more work to attend to.

When she entered the office over an hour ago to check on him, he was snoring peacefully and so she left him alone to sleep.

Looking at him now, haggard & dark circles under his eyes, she was most reluctant to wake him but she also knew the man would never forgive her if she didn't.

Gently placing her hand on his shoulder, she shook him. McCoy grumbled in his sleep at the intrusion, she shook him again more forcefully.

"Doctor, the Captain is awake," she spoke directly into his ear.

The response was immediate and Bones' eyes shot open.

Christine frowned in sympathy as Bones grimaced in pain.

'Jesus!' His neck hurt like hell.

He brutally flicked away a small disc that had embedded itself in his cheek and stood up from his desk. A quick stretch, a hasty 'thanks!' and he headed out of the office.

"Well, well, well, looks like Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken," he joked standing by his patient's bed.

"Well if you're my Prince Charming you're looking at one pretty disappointed customer!" Jim smiled back, teasing his friend.

"Insolent brat!" Bones scolded lightly whilst deactivating the field and running a tri-corder over his Captain. "So how are you feeling now?" he enquired.

"Starving!"

Bones shook his head laughing.

"That's a good sign but let's not rush into any five course banquets just yet," he cautioned, then turned to Nurse Chapel. "Christine, how about some nice chicken broth for the Captain," he asked politely.

"Coming right up," she replied happily and headed off to the nearest food replicator.

Chicken broth wasn't exactly what he was hoping for but Jim hid his disappointment, besides Bones was probably right, best to take things easy.

"How's the sensations in your extremities Jim?" Bones asked, back to business once more.

"Seems okay," Jim replied wriggling his fingers and toes.

McCoy pulled out his light pen and gently prodded the tops of every reddened finger and toe, while the Captain nodded positively to every contact. He was understandably relieved to learn he still had feeling in every one and silently hoped Spock's outcome would be equally positive.

"The colour should return to normal within the next few hours and I'm glad to see the swelling is almost gone. All in all I'd say you're going to make a full recovery Jim...despite the stupid, idiotic..."

"Hey!" Jim interrupted the rant, " where's all the sympathy and charming bedside manner gone to?" he demanded in mock hurt.

"Sympathy my ass! You God damn stubborn Star Fleet space jock!" Bones practically shouted back. "You're the one insisting he's better so it's time for a piece of my mind, you didn't think I was going to waste a perfectly good lecture on someone barely conscious now did you! But now that you're better..."

The Doctor was once again cut off mid rave by a gentile cough behind him. He swung around to find Nurse Chapel waiting there, tray in hand carrying a steaming bowl of chicken broth.

"Humph!" he grunted in disappointment, then turned back waving a threatening finger at the Captain, "Don't for a minute think this is over Jim Kirk, not for one nano second!" he warned then stormed off to the security of his office.

"Thanks," Jim smiled at the Nurse, "nice timing."

"You're welcome Captain," she replied lightly, "and don't take it to heart," she continued, nodding in the direction of the office, "he was just very worried about you both."

"I know," he replied soberly. He knew all to well that Bones probably went through hell while he and Spock were stuck on the surface of Setar VI, he was suffering along side them every minute they were gone.

Nurse Chapel placed the tray down then helped him to sit up and placed an extra pillow for support behind his back, finally she placed the tray on his lap and left him to eat in peace.

"Enjoy Captain," she added before walking away.

Jim started at the small brown bowl of steaming broth. It smelled nice but it just didn't seem to have the substance his stomach seemed to be craving right now, still...it was better than nothing. He could pig out later. Using the spoon was a little more challenging but his slightly numb fingers eventually coped and within no time he had the tiny meal consumed. Just as he was finishing Bones reappeared from his office looking like he was ready to continue his earlier rant.

Jim held up his hands in supplication.

"Please Bones, not now, save it for later," he pleaded, "Right now I just want to see Spock."

McCoy's mind waged a mini battle with itself and finally decided to let Kirk have his way...this time...but the promised ear-bashing would not be forgotten.

"Okay," he sighed, giving in, "let me get you an auto-chair."

"What!" Kirk demanded, slightly affronted.

"Look Jim, you want to see Spock...fine! But you'll see him on my terms and that my friend involves you sitting in an auto-chair, take it or leave it," he challenged whilst firmly crossing his arms across his chest, silently letting Kirk know that he would not give in on this particular matter.

"Fine, fine...you win Bones," Kirk surrendered, giving in far too quickly.

'God I really must be still out of sorts.' he mused.

"Damn right!" Bones affirmed and left to retrieve a chair.

He reappeared moments later and positioned the chair close by his patient's bed. The doctor then removed the tray and helped his Captain out of his bed and into the chair. Kirk wobbled unsteadily on his legs for a few seconds before landing heavily on the cushioned seat.

'Yep, definitely still out of sorts,' he agreed with himself, 'Christ, I can barely stand up!'

Thankfully the Doctor kept quite on the matter and let any deserved jibe slide. Bones then steered the metallic chair over to Spock's bedside and then lowered the bio-bed slightly so it was eye level with Jim.

"He regained consciousness a few hours ago, not too long after you drifted off actually. I don't expect it to be too long before he reawakens," Bones informed his friend.

"How was he?" Jim enquired softly.

Bones chuckled a little.

"Oh you know, his usual effervescent self," he replied jokingly, "I think he was a bit worried initially about his ears...not that he said anything of course but I reassured him that they'd be okay. Otherwise Jim, like you, he's on the road to recovery...may take a little longer but he'll get there," Bones added confidently.

"Thanks Bones." Jim's word were spoken softly but utterly heartfelt and he reached around and gripped his friend's hand.

"I mean it Bones...thanks for everything."

McCoy gave a short tight squeeze back.

"You're welcome," he replied sincerely, then he turned away and left his Captain looking at his sleeping Vulcan friend.

Jim hadn't asked to be left alone but Bones thought he might need the time regardless. Once again those two had been in a deathly perilous situation together. They were getting to be far too common an occurrence for Bones' liking but somehow they're were still managing to survive what ever curve balls the fates threw at them. Bones hoped silently once more that lady luck would continue to smile favourably upon them.

**Author's Note:**

> No beta, all mistakes are my own. Hope you enjoy it!  
> Please forgive any medical inaccuracies etc.  
> Also this piece was written before Star Trek Into Darkness came out so I guess the appearance of Christine Chapel in Chapter 10 is a little AU sorry.  
> Disclaimer: Don't own, not even Spock's sexy ears...mores the pity.


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